EFL League Two is the fourth highest tier in the English football league system after the English Premier League, Championship, and EFL League One. League Two debuted in 2004, making it a fairly recent entrant in England’s annual football season.
There are 24 clubs in League Two. Like EPL, each club plays home and away matches with every team for 46 matches per season. At the end of the season, the top three teams along the winner of the play-offs between the teams positioned 4th to 7th are promoted to EFL League One. Bottom teams in League One are relegated to League Two.
Stockport County was the winner of the 2023-24 season, earning a promotion. Runners-up Wrexham and Mansfield Town along with play-off winners Crawley Town were also promoted.
In this EFL League Two preview, we will take a look at the competing teams, key clubs, and players to watch out for.
Introduction to the EFL League Two 2024-25 Season
EFL League Two kicked off on 31st August with a match between Gillingham and Chesterfield (1–0). Matches will go on for several months and will conclude on 26th May 2025, at the Wembley Stadium in London.
These are participating 24 teams this season, ordered as per their standings. (Note: Standings are accurate to the time of publishing. Each team had played 24–27 matches at this time)
Position | Team | Points | Win-Loss-Draw |
1 | Walsall | 58 | 18-4-3 |
2 | Crewe Alexandra | 46 | 12-10-4 |
3 | Port Vale | 44 | 12-8-6 |
4 | AFC Wimbledon | 43 | 13-4-7 |
5 | Notts County | 43 | 12-7-6 |
6 | Doncaster | 43 | 12-7-7 |
7 | Salford City | 42 | 12-6-7 |
8 | Bradford City | 41 | 11-8-6 |
9 | Grimsby Town | 38 | 12-2-12 |
10 | Chesterfield | 35 | 9-8-8 |
11 | Bromley | 34 | 8-10-7 |
12 | MK Dons | 34 | 10-4-11 |
13 | Fleetwood | 33 | 8-9-7 |
14 | Colchester | 31 | 6-13-7 |
15 | Cheltenham | 31 | 8-7-10 |
16 | Gillingham | 30 | 9-3-12 |
17 | Harrowgate Town | 29 | 8-5-14 |
18 | Barrow | 28 | 7-7-11 |
19 | Swindon Town | 28 | 6-10-11 |
20 | Newport County | 26 | 7-5-12 |
21 | Accrington Stanley | 25 | 6-7-11 |
22 | Tranmere | 25 | 6-7-12 |
23 | Morecambe | 20 | 5-5-15 |
24 | Carlisle | 18 | 4-6-16 |
As of present, Walsall is the main title contender, with Crewe Alexandra as a close second. This means both teams have the potential to qualify for a League Two promotion.
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Teams Competing in the EFL League Two
This season, Stockport County, Wrexham, Mansfield Town, and Crawley Town left League Two after earning promotions. They were replaced by Milton Keynes Dons, Morecambe, and Cheltenham, who were relegated from League One.
Meanwhile, Sutton United and Forest Green Rovers were relegated to the lower division after finishing at the bottom of the table last season. Chesterfield and Bromley earned a League 2 promotion from the National League, the fifth-highest tier.
A total of six teams made managerial changes before the start of the season. Gillingham sacked Stephen Clemence before the start of the tournament as the manager and roped in Mark Bonner to replace him. Cheltenham also made changes to their squad. The previous manager, Darrell Clarke, was signed by Barnsley and has been replaced by Michael Flynn. Barnsley is a team in the EFL League One.
Key Players to Watch in the EFL League Two 2024-25 Season
The EFL League Two is a chance for young English footballers to develop their skills and get signed by teams in the higher tiers. Teams like Bradford City and Swindon Town once competed in the Premier League, so there’s no dearth of talent in this pool. Punters should watch these players who bring the action to every game:
Andy Cook, Bradford City
has been a part of Bradford City since 2021 and was the top scorer during the 2022-23 season. He is one of the best players in League 2 to watch out for.
Samson Tovide, Colchester United
The 21-year-old center-forward has been a part of Colchester United since the 2020-21 season and has shown all his skills so far. He featured in 21 matches for the team last season and scored four goals.
George Hall
He has represented England at under-18 and under-19 level. Hall won the Young Player of the Season award with Birmingham City in the 2022-23 season.
Rhys Williams
The 23-year-old defender played for Liverpool in the Premier League during the 2019-20 season. He has been loaned since then and has played for various teams in different leagues.
Daniel Crowley
The 27-year-old midfielder started his career with Arsenal and played for Notts County last season. He has scored 19 goals for Notts County in 64 appearances.
Key teams to watch in the 2025 EFL League Two season
Milton Keynes Dons, Doncaster Rovers, and Crewe Alexandra are the three teams that qualified for the League Two playoffs last season, along with the eventual winner, Crawley Town. These three teams will be looking to finish in the top three this season to get promoted to League One. Teams like Barrow and Bradford City had missed qualifying for the League Two play-offs by just one point and will be looking to deliver a better performance this season.
Notts County impressed last season led by the duo Luke Williams and Macaulay Langstaff. This season, they’ve signed striker David McGoldrick from the Irish team.
Walsall is leading the current table thanks to their ambitious summer recruitment. They brought in defender Priestley Farquharson from Newport County and Ronan Maher from Tamworth. Strikers Nathan Lowe and Jamille Matt are leading the goal-scoring, making Walsall a top team to watch out for this season.
Lastly, Port Vale is performing well under Jamaican Coach Darren Moore. Their squad has scored 32 goals so far this season, led by strikers Lorent Tolaj (3 goals) and J. Stockley (5 goals).
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